Accion Democratica

Accion Democratica (AD) is a social democratic and centrist political party in Venezuela that was founded by Romulo Betancourt in 1941. From 1945 to 1948, the party led Venezuela during its first democratic period, and it was excluded from power during the dictatorship of 1948-1958. The party, which advocated nationalism and social democracy, was at the height of its power from the 1960s to the 1990s, only to decline due to the rise of corruption and poverty; presidents Jaime Lusinchi and Carlos Andres Perez presided over particularly rough terms. In the 2015 elections, AD became the second-largest opposition party in Venezuela after Justice First, participating in the Democratic Unity Roundtable.